I’m in the race to win, says Ondo female gov aspirant

A 40-year-old mechanical engineer, Dr Funmi Waheed-Adekojo, on Wednesday, becomes the first Ondo aspirant to pick up the N10m expression of interest form to officially enter the race for the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket.

The ruling party has pegged the expression of interest form at N10m, while the nomination form goes for N40m.

However, female aspirants and persons with disabilities are given concession to only procure the expression of interest form while the nomination form is free.

Waheed-Adekojo, who is seeking to become the first female governor of the state, however, faces a daunting task in competing with the incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, business mogul and senator representing Ondo South district, Jimoh Ibrahim and a notable APC chieftain, Olusola Oke among others.

Speaking with newsmen after procuring her form at the APC national secretariat on Wednesday, she declared that she was not in any way intimidated by other aspirants in the race.

He also denied fronting for the governor, nor some alleged political godfathers in the state.

She said, “I am not fronting for anybody. I have just picked a N10m form that is also not being paid for by any godfather. It was paid with my hard earned money through which I have also single handedly raised 15,000 women and youths in Akoko and Ondo State generally on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.

“I am not in the race to represent or serve the interest of anybody. I am a woman of the people who is closer to those at the grassroots. As a mechanical engineer from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and a Fellow of the Society of Engineers, I am in this race to win and become the first female governor of Ondo State.

“I am not only representing myself. I am here to represent the women in the world, especially here in Africa, where we need to showcase what we can do. This is the era where women have to come on board to replace a lot of things that are missing in our society.”